Original
Modern English
Romeo, come forth; come forth, thou fearful man.
Romeo, come here; come here, you fearful man.
Affliction is enanmour’d of thy parts And thou art wedded to calamity.
Trouble is an admirer of yours and you are married to calamity.
Father, what news?
Father, what is the news?
What is the Prince’s doom?
What is the Prince’s fate for me?
What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand, That I yet know not?
What sorrow wants to be my acquaintance, that I do not yet know of?
Too familiar Is my dear son with such sour company.
Too familiar is my dear son with such sour company.
I bring thee tidings of the Prince’s doom.
I bring the news of the Prince’s fate for you.
What less than doomsday is the Prince’s doom?
What less than doomsday is the Prince’s damnation?
A gentler judgment vanish’d from his lips,
A gentler judgement came out from his lips,
Not body’s death, but body’s banishment.
Not your death, but your banishment.
Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say death;
Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say death;
For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death.
for exile has more terror in his look, much more than death.
Do not say banishment.
Do not say banishment.
Hence from Verona art thou banished.
You are banished from Verona.
Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.
Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.
There is no world without Verona walls, But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
The world beyond the walls of Verona is like mental anguish, torture, hell itself.
Hence banished is banish’d from the world, And world’s exile is death.
Hence being banished from Verona is banishment from the world and world’s exile is death.
Then banished Is death misterm’d.
Then banishment is death in a different name.
Calling death banished, Thou cutt’st my head off with a golden axe, And smilest upon the stroke that murders me.
So, calling death as ’banishment’ is like cutting my head off with a golden axe, and smile upon the stroke that murders me.
O deadly sin, O rude unthankfulness!
Oh, deadly sin! Oh, rude unthankfulness!
Thy fault our law calls death,
Our law calls for death for your crime.
but the kind Prince, Taking thy part, hath brush’d aside the law, And turn’d that black word death to banishment.
But the kind Prince, taking his part, has brushed aside the law and turned that black word death to banishment.
This is dear mercy, and thou see’st it not.
This is dear mercy, but you can’t see it.
’Tis torture, and not mercy.
It’s torture, and not mercy.
Heaven is here Where Juliet lives,
Heaven is here in Verona, where Juliet lives.
and every cat and dog, And little mouse, every unworthy thing, Live here in heaven and may look on her,
And every cat and dog, and little mouse, every unworthy thing, that lives here, lives in heaven because they can look on her.
But Romeo may not.
But Romeo will not.
More validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion flies than Romeo.
Carrion flies will have more validity, a more honourable state, and much more romance than Romeo.
They may seize On the white wonder of dear Juliet’s hand, And steal immortal blessing from her lips, Who, even in pure and vestal modesty Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin.
They can touch on the white wonder of dear Juliet’s hand, and steal immortal blessing from her lips, who even though she is a virgin, still blush as they think of it as a sin.
But Romeo may not, he is banished.
But Romeo can not, he is banished.
This may flies do, when I from this must fly.
Flies can do it, whereas I should fly.
They are free men but I am banished.
Flies are free but I am banished.
And say’st thou yet that exile is not death?
And you still say that exile is not death?
Hadst thou no poison mix’d, no sharp-ground knife, No sudden mean of death, though ne’er so mean, But banished to kill me? Banished?
You did not have poison, no sharp-ground knife, no sudden means of death, nothing so disgraceful, but banishment to kill me? Banished?
O Friar, the damned use that word in hell. Howlings attends it.
Oh Friar! the damned souls use that word in hell. They howl the word.
How hast thou the heart, Being a divine, a ghostly confessor, A sin-absolver, and my friend profess’d, To mangle me with that word banished?
How did you have the heart, being a divine, a ghostly confessor, a sin-absolver, and my friend, to destroy me with that word ’banished’?
Thou fond mad man, hear me speak a little,
You silly madman, listen to me.
O, thou wilt speak again of banishment.
Oh, you will speak again of banishment.
I’ll give thee armour to keep off that word,
I will give you the cure to keep off that word.
Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy, To comfort thee, though thou art banished.
Adversity’s sweet milk - philosophy, to comfort you, even though you are banished.
Yet banished? Hang up philosophy.
Yet banished? let philosophy be hanged.
Unless philosophy can make a Juliet, Displant a town, reverse a Prince’s doom,
Unless philosophy can make a Juliet, move to a new town, or reverse a Prince’s fate.
It helps not, it prevails not, talk no more.
It does not help. It is not persuasive, talk no more.
O, then I see that mad men have no ears.
Oh, then I see that madmen have no ears.
How should they, when that wise men have no eyes?
How should they, when that wise men have no eyes?
Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.
Let me dispute with you of you state.
Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel.
You can not speak of that you do not feel.
Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,
If you were as young as I am, Juliet your love, married to her for just an hour, and murdered Tybalt.
Doting like me, and like me banished, Then mightst thou speak,
If you loved her like me, and banished as I am, then you may speak about it.
then mightst thou tear thy hair, And fall upon the ground as I do now, Taking the measure of an unmade grave.
Though you might tear your hair and fall upon the ground as I do now [Romeo falls on the ground] taking the measure of your unmade grave.
Arise; one knocks. Good Romeo, hide thyself.
Get up, someone is knocking at the door. Good Romeo, hide yourself.
Not I, unless the breath of heartsick groans Mist-like infold me from the search of eyes.
I will not, unless the breath of heartsick groans produce a mist that hides me from people’s searching eyes.
Hark, how they knock!
Listen! how they knock!
—Who’s there?
Who is there?
—Romeo, arise, Thou wilt be taken.—Stay awhile.—Stand up.
Romeo, get up. You will be taken away. Hold on a moment, stand up.
Run to my study.
Run to my study.
—By-and-by.
Just a minute.
—God’s will, What simpleness is this.
God’s will, what stupidity is this!
—I come, I come.
I am coming! I am coming!
Who knocks so hard?
Who knocks so hard?
Whence come you, what’s your will?
Where do you come from? What do you want?
[
] Let me come in, and you will know my purpose.
] Let me come in, and you shall know my errand.
] Let me come in, and you will know my purpose.
I come from Lady Juliet.
I come here from Lady Juliet.
Welcome then.
[Opening the door] Welcome then.
O holy Friar, O, tell me, holy Friar,
O holy Friar, Oh, tell me, holy Friar
Where is my lady’s lord, where’s Romeo?
Where is my lady’s lord, where is Romeo?
There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk.
There, on the ground, drunk on his own tears.
O, he is even in my mistress’case. Just in her case!
Oh, he is acting like my mistress then, just like her!
O woeful sympathy! Piteous predicament.
Oh awful sympathy! What a dreadful predicament.
Even so lies she, Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering.
Even she lies blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering.
Stand up, stand up; stand, and you be a man.
Stand up, stand up; stand if you are a man.
For Juliet’s sake, for her sake, rise and stand.
For Juliet’s sake, for her sake, rise and stand.
Why should you fall into so deep an O?
Why do you moan so deeply?
Nurse.
Nurse!
Ah sir, ah sir, death’s the end of all.
Ah sir, ah sir, death is the end of all.
Spakest thou of Juliet? How is it with her?
What do you talk about Juliet? How is it with her?
Doth not she think me an old murderer, Now I have stain’d the childhood of our joy With blood remov’d but little from her own?
Does she not think of me as an old murderer, now that I have killed our new found love by killing one of her relative.
Where is she? And how doth she?
Where is she? And how is she?
And what says My conceal’d lady to our cancell’d love?
And what does my secret lady to our cancelled love?
O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps;
Oh, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps;
And now falls on her bed, and then starts up, And Tybalt calls, and then on Romeo cries, And then down falls again.
She falls on her bed, and then gets up, then calls Tybalt name, and then Romeo’s name and cries, and then falls down again.
As if that name, Shot from the deadly level of a gun, Did murder her, as that name’s cursed hand Murder’d her kinsman.
As if that name is shot from the deadly level of a gun and murdered her just like that name’s cursed hand murdered her relative.
O, tell me, Friar, tell me, In what vile part of this anatomy Doth my name lodge?
Oh, tell me, Friar, tell me, in what unworthy part of this body does my name rest?
Tell me, that I may sack The hateful mansion.
Tell me, that I may cut this hateful mansion myself.
Hold thy desperate hand.
Hold that desperate hand.
Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art.
Are you a man? You look like a man.
Thy tears are womanish, thy wild acts denote The unreasonable fury of a beast. Unseemly woman in a seeming man, And ill-beseeming beast in seeming both!
Your tears are womanish, your wild acts denotes the unreasonable fury of a beast. You are like an inappropriate woman in a seemingly man looking body, And evil hiding beast in half man and half woman!
Thou hast amaz’d me. By my holy order, I thought thy disposition better temper’d.
You amaze me. By my holy order, I thought your character was better tempered than this.
Hast thou slain Tybalt?
Have you killed Tybalt?
Wilt thou slay thyself? And slay thy lady, that in thy life lives, By doing damned hate upon thyself?
Will you kill yourself and also kill your lady, who is part of your life by doing this damned hate upon yourself?
Why rail’st thou on thy birth, the heaven and earth?
Why are you ranting on your birth, the heaven and the earth?
Since birth, and heaven and earth, all three do meet In thee at once; which thou at once wouldst lose.
Since birth, and heaven and earth, all three meet at once to make you; which you at once would lose.
Fie, fie, thou sham’st thy shape, thy love, thy wit,
Oh God! you shame your body, your love, your mind.
Which, like a usurer, abound’st in all, And usest none in that true use indeed Which should bedeck thy shape, thy love, thy wit.
Like an usurer, abundant in all - your body, your love and your mind, and use none in its true sense.
Thy noble shape is but a form of wax, Digressing from the valour of a man;
Your noble shape is but a form of wax, digressing from the courage of a man in the battle.
Thy dear love sworn but hollow perjury, Killing that love which thou hast vow’d to cherish;
The dear love you swore is nothing but hollow lie, since you are about to kill the love which you vowed to cherish.
Thy wit, that ornament to shape and love, Misshapen in the conduct of them both,
Your mind, the key to your body and love, has failed to handle both.
Like powder in a skilless soldier’s flask, Is set afire by thine own ignorance, And thou dismember’d with thine own defence.
Like an unskilled soldier who sets flask of gunpowder on fire by your own ignorance, and you end up killing yourself with your own defence.
What, rouse thee, man. Thy Juliet is alive, For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead. There art thou happy.
What, hold yourself, man. Your Juliet is alive, for whose dear sake you were threatning to kill yourself. There is something to be happy about.
Tybalt would kill thee, But thou slew’st Tybalt; there art thou happy.
Tybalt would have killed you, but you killed Tybalt. That is something to be happy about.
The law that threaten’d death becomes thy friend, And turns it to exile; there art thou happy.
The law that promises death becomes your friend, and turns it to exile; that is something to be happy about.
A pack of blessings light upon thy back; Happiness courts thee in her best array;
A pack of blessings light upon your back; and Happiness courts you in her best array.
But like a misshaped and sullen wench, Thou putt’st up thy Fortune and thy love.
But like a misbehaved and sullen girl, you rant about your luck and your love.
Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable.
Take heed, take heed, for such people die in misery.
Go, get thee to thy love as was decreed, Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her.
Go, go to your love as was planned. Climb upto her chamber, and comfort her.
But look thou stay not till the watch be set, For then thou canst not pass to Mantua;
But do not stay till late as the watchmen will be set, so you cannot pass to Mantua.
Where thou shalt live till we can find a time To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, Beg pardon of the Prince,
You will live in Mantua till we can find a time to publicly announce your marriage, make peace with your friends, beg pardon of the Prince.
and call thee back With twenty hundred thousand times more joy Than thou went’st forth in lamentation.
And call you back with twenty hundred thousand times more joy than you will feel when leaving.
Go before, Nurse.
Go before Romeo, Nurse.
Commend me to thy lady, And bid her hasten all the house to bed, Which heavy sorrow makes them apt unto.
Speak of me to my lady, and ask her to hurry everybody in her house to go to bed. Their heavy sorrow will make them want to do the same.
Romeo is coming.
Romeo is coming.
O Lord, I could have stay’d here all the night To hear good counsel.
Oh Lord, I could have stayed here all night listen to good advice.
O, what learning is!
O, what a learning this is!
My lord, I’ll tell my lady you will come.
[TO ROMEO] My lord, I will tell my lady that you will come.
Do so, and bid my sweet prepare to chide.
Do so, and tell my sweet to be ready to scold me.
Here sir, a ring she bid me give you, sir.
Here sir, this ring, she asked me to give you, sir.
Hie you, make haste, for it grows very late.
Listen you, make hurry, for its getting very late.
How well my comfort is reviv’d by this.
How well my comfort is revived by this ring.
Go hence, good night,
Now go, good night.
and here stands all your state: Either be gone before the watch be set, Or by the break of day disguis’d from hence.
And here is the situation, either be gone before the night watch takes its position, or leave after day break, in disguised form.
Sojourn in Mantua.
Stay a while in Mantua.
I’ll find out your man, And he shall signify from time to time Every good hap to you that chances here.
I’ll find out your servant, and from time to time, he will give every good news to you that happens here.
Give me thy hand;’tis late; farewell; good night.
Give me your hand; it’s late, farewell! Good night!
But that a joy past joy calls out on me, It were a grief so brief to part with thee.
The greatest joy calls out on me, but it is still sad to part with you in such a hurry.
Farewell.
Farewell.